


The Lighthouse Inn

by DespiteReason



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Evil!Arin, F/M, Fanfiction, Mystery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-08
Packaged: 2019-07-16 08:43:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16082567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DespiteReason/pseuds/DespiteReason
Summary: The Lighthouse InnSanta Monica, CA 90401A Game Grumps AU, in which a girl finds herself in an Inn with some curious strangers.April Anne Holliday has been missing for almost five years. Investigators have pretty much given up the search. Any hope her friends and family had of finding her has since been given up on. That is, until her sister, Savannah, is sent a letter from an anonymous source. The unknown sender leads her into the misty town of Santa Monica, dragging her into an Inn filled with many curious characters.





	The Lighthouse Inn

Friday, February 18th, 9:07 PM 

I step up to the front door of the Inn, exploiting the small sliver of cover from the rain to shake out my soaked umbrella. The soft hum of the lights on the Inn's sign provide a mellow soundtrack for my task. I warily peer into the Inn, wondering if they're even open. Not like I was planning on driving for another hour to find somewhere that had an Inn that was open. The road surrounding this Inn was almost completely bare, with only a gas station and a diner within a mile's radius. I pull the postcard out of my pocket, checking it once again.

~The Lighthouse Inn~  
Santa Monica, CA  
90401

This was definitely it. Though, the postcard probably did it a bit too much justice, depicting the picturesque Lighthouse, rather than the dim, moth swarmed lighting, or the creaky shutters. Of course, those probably weren't really then Inn's selling point. Just the Lighthouse. 

'Oh, April. What were you thinking?' I wonder as I drag myself in through the door. The warm air conditioned air hits me all at once, lessening some of the chill in my bones.

“Good Evening,” The woman behind the counter greets me warmly. “So glad you could make it through the storm, the weather's been just crazy lately. Name, please?” I approach the counter, bringing out my I.D. and credit card.

“Savannah Holliday,” I say as I place my bags down next to me.

“What a pretty name,” She says, before hollering, “BARRY!” behind the counter. Almost immediately, a scruffy young man with dark brown hair and matching eyes appears next to me. 

“I'll take your bags, miss,” he offers softly, reaching out to retrieve my luggage.

Oh, yes, thank you,” I say.

“Here's your card,” The woman behind the counter says, handing my all of my cards back, along with a keycard. “Your room is number two-one-four. I'm Suzy, if you need me, just dial one on the room's phone. My husband, Arin, or I will be sure to answer at some point. We don't really have much better to do.” 

“Alright, thank you!” I say, following Barry to the room. I thank him as he places my bags down near the bed. As he's about to leave, he stops in the doorway.

“Your last name... Holliday?” He says, “Sounds very familiar.” He closes the door and leaves the room before I have time to ask him about what he means by that. In an attempt to recover from the strange interaction, I shrug my coat off and settle into the room. It isn't abnormally small, but it isn't big, either. There's enough room for the queen sized bed, a desk, a dresser, a TV, and some walking space. With a small bathroom in the entrance to the room, I find myself almost at home, as it closely resembles my studio apartment in New York. 

I take a seat at the desk in the corner, laying out the objects I was sent as a part of the anonymous letter. First, the postcard, the one that brought me here. The back of the postcard simply had the message, “If you're looking for your sister, I suggest you start here.” I recognized the card from a rack of postcards in the front of the Inn, so that doesn't really get me any further than I've already gone. My next item is a necklace, adorned with a small bird. I can tell that it's a small bird, with a very small beak, but it's made out of metal, so I can't see much else. It doesn't look like anything special, so I move on. There's a slip of paper, possibly a nametag that says “Elizabeth Marina”. Maybe a name, but the edges of the paper are so worn, I can't tell if it used to be a part of something else. What I can tell, is that one of my items, a picture of April, used to belong to a bigger photograph of her and some other people. If I could find the other half to this photo, maybe I could get somewhere. Maybe it was a date? Was she having an affair? No, that wouldn't make sense. She had the perfect husband. I shuffle the objects back into the the envelope they came in, deciding I'm not going to get anywhere tonight. 

I retrieve my pajamas from my bags and make my way into the bathroom, turning the shower on hot. I peel off my slightly rain-damp clothes, stepping into the scalding water. I take special care to wash my face, scrubbing the dust and dirt out of my skin with my soft hands. Getting out of the shower, I change into my pajamas, brush my teeth, and leave the bathroom. I'm about to go to bed when my stomach growls. I groan at myself, but, then again, I guess it wouldn't hurt to look for a snack or something. I slip on a pair of socks, and venture out of my room into the empty hallway. Slowly padding, my sock-laden feet through the hall, I wander towards the vending machines at the end. My coins clink into the machine, followed by a “CLUNK” as my drink falls into the receptacle.

I let out a small yelp as I turn around to see a lanky man sitting next to the other vending machine. The soft flourescent hallway lights frame him so intensely, I wonder how I didn't notice him in the first place. His wild mass of curly hair shifts as he cocks his head towards me and waves.

“Oh... hello,” I say, waving awkwardly back at him, and he laughs. 

“Did I scare you?” He asks, his voice smooth and deep. 

“No- I just, uh-”

“Aww, the little bird is flustered,” He says, “how cute.”

“I didn't come here to be mocked,” I say, retrieving a granola bar from the vending machine. “I just needed something to eat. I'll be going now.”

“Hey, wait,” He says, stopping me. “I don't even know your name yet. I'm Daniel, but you can call me Danny, or Dan, if you like.” I pause for a long moment. 

“That's a great name, but I really need to get going,” I say, hoping he didn't expect me to introduce myself.

“Aw, must you leave so soon?” He asks, and there's a certain sadness to his voice that I can't place. I consider staying, but his persistence is beginning to pester me, and I really need to get to bed.

“I don't usually find myself interacting with the likes of strangers. You are no exception,” I say, finally heading back to my room. I hope at least some of the people I find here will be slightly normal. Maybe that's why April was last seen here, she would fit in well with the crowd. She was a strange one. Always a loose cannon. I don't think our family ever did understand her well. I don't think they even understood me well, and I was the more normal one of the two of us. Straight after high school, I went to an Ivy League law school, and got my degree before April's disappearance. 

Even with the wild cases I had a chance to work on, I never expected something like this to happen. It shook me up pretty bad, and my career suffered because of it. Maybe I need to be out here, looking for her. 

As I return to my room, I glance at the items I was sent. Tracing my fingers over the necklace, I mumble to myself, “little bird”. It was probably just coincidence that Dan called me that, but I'd definitely need to look into it. 

“God, is everyone here going to be this fucking weird?” I ask myself out loud before going to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is kinda short but i promise im actually working on this!! NaNoWriMo has got me inspired,,, but I'm such a slow writer I'm like 6,000 words behind.... but its okay im doing fine


End file.
